1. You've ever heard and/or said the following words:
"Ouch! Yeah! That hurts! GOOD!"
Especially, if that was followed by, "Do it again!"

2. You can look at the various bruises on your hands, wrists, and forearms and name who caused each of them and which technique they were doing. And, you smile fondly as you think of each person even though they bruised you!

4. You consider breakfalls a good way to loosen up the gunk in your lungs while getting over bronchitis.

5. You do NOT want to sit down for a while, you do NOT want to miss a second of class, and you utter the words, "I'm OK. I'll hurt when I get home."

6. Your gi gets washed 3 times more often than any other article of clothing in your wardrobe.

7. Someone asks why you are limping/not using an arm/hissing in pain when you bend over, and your story begins, "Oh, it was really great! In class yesterday, I finally got to try...."

8. Your friends don't even bother rolling their eyes or shaking their heads over the above anymore. They've given you over to aikido-addiction with no hope of return.

9. A good aikido class makes for a good mood for a day or two pretty much no matter what. A bad class, when you are mad at yourself and completely disgusted with your own ineptitude and mentally kicking yourself over being a completely useless idiot on the mats, makes for a cranky couple of days pretty much no matter what.

10. Your knees always resemble purple, bony plums.

11. You spend the time between classes worrying about and praying over someone who got hurt/sick during the previous class. It pains you to see another aikidoka need to step off the mats.